Things to do · Zurich · Switzerland
18 best things to do in Zurich
18 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Quick answer
The essential sights in Zurich are Niederdorf and the right-bank Old Town, Grossmünster and Fraumünster. Of the 18 picks below, 4 are free, 8 work on a rainy day and 8 suit children. Allow about 3 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Niederdorf and the right-bank Old Town
- Free sights
- 4
- Good on a rainy day
- Fraumünster
- Time to see the highlights
- 3 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Niederdorf and the right-bank Old Town | Niederdorf | 2 hours | Free |
| Grossmünster | Niederdorf | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Fraumünster | City and Lindenhof | 30 minutes | Low cost |
| Bahnhofstrasse | City and Lindenhof | 1 hour | Free |
| Lake Zurich cruise | Bürkliplatz | 1.5–4 hours | Low cost |
| Kunsthaus Zürich | Heimplatz | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Lindenhof hill | City and Lindenhof | 30 minutes | Free |
| Swiss National Museum | Main station | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Uetliberg | Uetliberg | Half a day | Low cost |
| Zurich Zoo | Fluntern | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Lake and river baths (Badis) | Lake Zurich and Limmat | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Im Viadukt and Zurich West | Zurich West | 2 hours | Free |
| FIFA Museum | Enge | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Museum Rietberg | Enge | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Zürichhorn: Pavillon Le Corbusier and Chinese Garden | Seefeld | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Polybahn and Polyterrasse | Niederdorf | 30 minutes | Low cost |
| Lindt Home of Chocolate | Kilchberg | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Thermalbad & Spa Zürich | Enge | 2–3 hours | Expensive |
The 18 best things to do
Neighbourhood · Niederdorf
1.Niederdorf and the right-bank Old Town
Walk the car-free Niederdorfstrasse from Central towards the Grossmünster and branch into the lanes that climb the hill: Spiegelgasse, where the Cabaret Voltaire hosted the first Dada evenings in 1916 and Lenin lived at number 14, Rindermarkt and Neumarkt with their guild houses and fountains.
Explore the quieter upper lanes around Neumarkt and Spiegelgasse in the morning, then come back in the evening for the restaurants.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Food
- After dark
Religious site · Niederdorf
2.Grossmünster
The twin-towered Romanesque church, begun around 1100, is where Huldrych Zwingli launched the Swiss Reformation in 1519. Its plain interior has stained-glass windows by Augusto Giacometti and agate-and-glass windows by Sigmar Polke, and the Karlsturm tower can be climbed for a view over the rooftops and the lake.
Climb the tower for the best view of the Limmat bends, then look at the crypt and the bronze doors on the way out.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Views
- Architecture
Religious site · City and Lindenhof
3.Fraumünster
Founded in 853 as an abbey for aristocratic women, the Fraumünster is famous for the five stained-glass windows Marc Chagall created for its choir in 1970, glowing in deep blues, greens and reds. A large window by Augusto Giacometti fills the north transept. A small entry fee applies.
Visit on a bright day, ideally in the morning, when the sun lights up the Chagall windows.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Street · City and Lindenhof
4.Bahnhofstrasse
Zurich's best-known luxury shopping street runs 1.4 km from the main station to the lake, mostly car-free and served by trams. It passes department stores, watchmakers and jewellers, and Paradeplatz with its banks and the Confiserie Sprüngli café, home of the Luxemburgerli.
Walk it from the station to the lake and buy a small box of Luxemburgerli at Sprüngli on Paradeplatz.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Shopping
- Iconic
- Free
- Food
Experience · Bürkliplatz
5.Lake Zurich cruise
Passenger boats leave from Bürkliplatz at the lake end of Bahnhofstrasse for short round trips of about 1.5 hours or longer cruises to the rose town of Rapperswil at the far end of the lake. On clear days the snow-capped Glarus Alps appear beyond the vineyards and villages of the 'Gold Coast' shore.
Sit on the open upper deck when the weather allows, and look south-east down the lake for the Alps on clear days.
- Time needed
- 1.5–4 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Views
- Couples
- Kids
- Outdoors
Gallery · Heimplatz
6.Kunsthaus Zürich
Switzerland's largest art museum spans the original building and David Chipperfield's extension, opened in 2021, across Heimplatz. Highlights include the largest collection of works by Alberto Giacometti, one of the largest Munch collections outside Norway, Swiss painters such as Ferdinand Hodler and Henry Fuseli, and French Impressionists.
Start with the Giacometti rooms, then cross through the underground passage to the extension.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Iconic
- Architecture
Viewpoint · City and Lindenhof
7.Lindenhof hill
This tree-shaded terrace on the site of a Roman fort and later a Carolingian palace looks across the Limmat to the Niederdorf, the Grossmünster and the university. Locals play on the giant chessboards, and the nearby St. Peter's church has the largest church clock face in Europe, 8.7 metres across.
Come early in the morning or at sunset for the view, and walk down through the lanes to the Fraumünster.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- History
- Couples
- Photo spot
Museum · Main station
8.Swiss National Museum
Housed in a turreted 1898 building beside the main station with a modern wing added in 2016, the Landesmuseum tells Swiss history from prehistoric times through the Middle Ages and the Reformation to the present, with period rooms, armour, furniture and well-designed temporary exhibitions.
It is right behind the main station, so it fills an hour before or after a train.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
- Kids
Viewpoint · Uetliberg
1.Uetliberg
Zurich's local mountain, at about 870 metres, is reached by the S10 train from the main station in around 20 minutes. From the summit and its lookout tower the view spans the city, the whole length of the lake and, on clear days, the Alps. The Planet Trail ridge walk continues to Felsenegg, where a cable car descends to Adliswil.
Walk the ridge to Felsenegg (about 2 hours), ride the cable car down to Adliswil and take the S4 back to the city.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Active
- Kids
Zoo · Fluntern
2.Zurich Zoo
On the wooded Zürichberg hill, the zoo is known for its Masoala Rainforest hall, a recreation of a Madagascan rainforest with free-roaming lemurs and birds, the Kaeng Krachan Elephant Park and the Lewa savannah with giraffes and rhinos. Tram 6 runs to the gates.
Head to the Masoala hall early when the animals are most active, and save the elephant park for feeding times.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Rainy day
Experience · Lake Zurich and Limmat
3.Lake and river baths (Badis)
Zurich's historic wooden bathhouses let you swim in clean lake and river water in the city centre from late spring to early autumn. Seebad Utoquai and Seebad Enge float on the lake, the women-only Frauenbadi and the men-only Männerbad sit in the Old Town, and at the Oberer Letten young locals float down the Limmat's current and climb out by the ladders.
Bring a waterproof bag and swim only at the official baths; the Limmat's current is strong outside them.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Outdoors
- Active
- Kids
- Couples
Neighbourhood · Zurich West
4.Im Viadukt and Zurich West
The arches of a 19th-century railway viaduct now hold design shops, cafés and the Markthalle food hall, running for about 500 metres through Kreis 5. Nearby, the Freitag flagship store is a tower of stacked shipping containers with a viewing deck, and Frau Gerolds Garten is a seasonal garden bar beside the tracks.
Climb the Freitag tower for a free look over the railway lines, then eat at the Markthalle.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Food
- Architecture
- After dark
Museum · Enge
5.FIFA Museum
Opened in 2016 near Enge station, the FIFA Museum covers the history of world football with World Cup trophies, shirts from every member association, interactive games and a pinball hall. It appeals to football fans and to children on a rainy afternoon.
Leave time for the interactive football games on the lower floor, which children enjoy most.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Gallery · Enge
6.Museum Rietberg
Switzerland's museum of non-European art, with collections from Asia, Africa, the Americas and Oceania, occupies the Villa Wesendonck and a glass entrance pavilion in the Rieterpark. The hillside park has views over the lake and is free to walk.
Combine it with a walk through the Rieterpark and a swim at Seebad Enge in summer.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
- Architecture
Garden · Seefeld
7.Zürichhorn: Pavillon Le Corbusier and Chinese Garden
The lakeside park at Zürichhorn holds Le Corbusier's last building, a colourful steel-and-glass pavilion completed in 1967 that now hosts exhibitions, and a Chinese Garden given by Zurich's partner city Kunming. Both are mainly open in the warmer months, while the lawns and promenade are free all year.
Walk the lakeside promenade from Bellevue to Zürichhorn, about 30 minutes, and return by boat or tram.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Off the beaten path
Viewpoint · Niederdorf
8.Polybahn and Polyterrasse
The red Polybahn funicular, running since 1889, climbs from Central to the terrace of ETH Zurich's main building, designed by Gottfried Semper. The Polyterrasse gives a broad view over the Old Town, the Limmat and the lake.
Ride up, enjoy the terrace view, and walk back down through the Niederdorf lanes.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Kids
- Photo spot
- History
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Museum · Kilchberg
9.Lindt Home of Chocolate
Next to the Lindt & Sprüngli factory in Kilchberg, on the lake's western shore, this chocolate museum opened in 2020 with a chocolate fountain about 9 metres tall, an interactive exhibition on cocoa and Swiss chocolate history, tastings and a large shop. The S8 train from the main station takes about 10–15 minutes.
Go on a weekday morning, and leave room for the tasting room at the end of the exhibition.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Timed tickets often sell out at weekends and in school holidays; book online in advance.
- Kids
- Food
- Rainy day
Experience · Enge
10.Thermalbad & Spa Zürich
Built into the stone vaults of the former Hürlimann brewery, this spa has thermal pools in the old cellars and an open-air rooftop pool with views over the city to the Uetliberg. It is popular on winter evenings and at weekends.
Go on a weekday evening, and finish in the rooftop pool after dark.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Entry is often limited at busy times; reserve a slot online if possible.
- Couples
- Views
- Rainy day
- After dark
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Fraumünster, Kunsthaus Zürich, Swiss National Museum and FIFA Museum |
| History | Niederdorf and the right-bank Old Town, Lindenhof hill, Grossmünster and Fraumünster |
| Views | Lindenhof hill, Grossmünster, Lake Zurich cruise and Uetliberg |
| Outdoors and nature | Lake Zurich cruise, Uetliberg, Zurich Zoo and Lake and river baths (Badis) |
| Food and markets | Niederdorf and the right-bank Old Town, Bahnhofstrasse, Im Viadukt and Zurich West and Lindt Home of Chocolate |
| After dark | Niederdorf and the right-bank Old Town, Im Viadukt and Zurich West and Thermalbad & Spa Zürich |
| With children | Lake Zurich cruise, Swiss National Museum, Uetliberg and Zurich Zoo |
| On a rainy day | Fraumünster, Kunsthaus Zürich, Swiss National Museum and Zurich Zoo |
What to book ahead
- Lindt Home of Chocolate: Timed tickets often sell out at weekends and in school holidays; book online in advance.
- Thermalbad & Spa Zürich: Entry is often limited at busy times; reserve a slot online if possible.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Zurich?
Niederdorf and the right-bank Old Town. Walk the car-free Niederdorfstrasse from Central towards the Grossmünster and branch into the lanes that climb the hill: Spiegelgasse, where the Cabaret Voltaire hosted the first Dada evenings in 1916 and Lenin lived at number 14, Rindermarkt and Neumarkt with their guild houses and fountains.
+What can you do for free in Zurich?
Niederdorf and the right-bank Old Town, Bahnhofstrasse, Lindenhof hill and Im Viadukt and Zurich West. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Zurich when it rains?
Head indoors to Fraumünster, Kunsthaus Zürich, Swiss National Museum and Zurich Zoo.
+What is there to do in Zurich at night?
Niederdorf and the right-bank Old Town, Im Viadukt and Zurich West and Thermalbad & Spa Zürich are best after dark.